Living for the Moment: Book 1
by silvermoony77
Summary: All Alex Ratcliff wanted to do was dance. However, weird things happen when she does, like flickering lights…and exploding ones. When her guardian invites an old friend to explain these strange happenings, Alex learns more about her past and herself than she ever expected. Follow Alex as she learns magic and tries to keep her secret: she was with Harry that fateful Halloween night.
1. Chapter 1 Magical Mystery Tour

_Summary: All Alex Ratcliff wanted to do was dance. However, weird things happen when she does, like flickering lights…and exploding ones. When her guardian invites an old friend to explain these strange happenings, Alex learns more about her past and herself than she ever expected. Follow Alex as she learns magic and tries to keep her secret: she was with Harry that fateful Halloween night._

_Disclaimer: I do not own _Harry Potter_ or the characters created by the extremely talented J.K. Rowling. I only own the characters and plot lines you don't recognize from the original story._

_Rating: T (only because I'm paranoid about the language used throughout the story)_

_Warnings: This is an AU story so if you don't like that, that's totally fine! This story may not be for you though. Also, throughout the story there is some stronger language. Nothing too horrible but there will be a couple F-bombs. I'll be sure to warn you ahead of time in case people are offended by strong language._

_I'd like to dedicate this chapter to all the fans who messaged me asking for updates. This whole edit is because of you all. I hope you enjoy the edited version of this story! _

Chapter 1 Magical Mystery Tour

When the music started, the magic began.

Moving to the beat, she felt her blood begin to pound. Muscles stretching to their limit, she jumped and turned and _flew_ around the small practice room. It was as though her body was humming to the tune of the song. As the music filled her up, she knew that the movements she was performing weren't ones she had been taught for this song. She should have stopped but the music kept going; therefore, so did she. The moves seemed to come from somewhere inside her but her mind didn't dwell on the matter. All that she cared about was dancing until the end. The music stopped as she struck her final pose, panting slightly and grinning.

Then the light above her exploded.

"Oh my God!" shouted a woman in her mid-thirties, rushing over to the young girl who, luckily, leapt away before the glass could hurt her. "Alex, are you all right?"

"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine, Ms. Jenny," the girl replied shakily, looking up into the concerned blue eyes of her dance instructor.

"I've told Jane a thousand times to replace these lights before they burn out," the woman called Ms. Jenny growled, pulling Alex's lean form toward her in a hug. "Or maybe," she added with a wry smile, "you danced so beautifully that the light shattered by itself!"

Alex chuckled, returning the hug from her instructor. "Yeah, okay Ms. Jenny."

"Well, we can't continue the lesson with all this glass on the ground. I think its time to stop anyway. Get your stuff and come with me while I call someone in to clean this up."

Nodding, Alex gracefully leapt over the glass and to the safe area by the wall of mirrors, slipping off her ballet shoes. She looked back at the shattered light through the mirror and sighed. She hadn't told Ms. Jenny but this experience was not the first time weird things happened as she danced. Just last week, she had been in a different practice room going through a routine alone when suddenly, the lights above her flickered and surged with electricity. Another time, Alex did a leap and slammed into the opposite wall that was too far away to have been an accident.

Shaking her head, Alex dispelled these thoughts. The lights were just faulty and the wall was closer than she had anticipated. She often forgot the world around her when she got caught up in dancing and didn't notice things like people…or walls, apparently.

Alex instead focused on the reflection before her. A ten-year-old girl stared back at her. The black leotard she wore revealed her slim yet muscular form that was still growing into her long limbs and large feet. Long, thick black hair was pulled back in a ballerina bun but a few stray strands had come loose and fallen in her olive-toned face. Her stormy grey eyes looked back at her with a gleam of adrenaline from the exercise.

Unconsciously, she rubbed her arm and let her fingers run over the familiar scar on her right upper arm. Alex had it for as long as she could remember, the result of a car crash that killed her parents. It was a rather strange scar, as it appeared to be in the shape of a lightning bolt. Normally, Alex kept her upper arms covered because she hated having to explain its shape and origin to people. However, it was a hot and muggy day in the end of July and Alex knew anything with sleeves would just make her sweat even more than she was already.

"Alex? Everything all right?" Ms. Jenny called from the doorway, pushing strands of her dirty blonde hair out of her long face.

"Yeah, I'm coming now," Alex replied, grabbing her stuff and leaving the room to walk to Ms. Jenny's office. The office was covered with ballet show posters from when Ms. Jenny had been a ballerina herself. While Alex's instructor had never been a prima ballerina, she had been in the Royal Ballet for years. Alex's eyes drifted across the posters and she felt the familiar longing in her chest and pain of disappointment.

"Next year," said Ms. Jenny softly, causing Alex to look over at her instructor. "Next year, we'll convince your uncle to let you go to White Lodge."

"But I'll be a full year behind! Will they even accept me?" Alex asked, throwing her bag on the ground and dropping into a chair. "It's not fair, you know. Uncle Monty is just going to send me to the local secondary school. He says I need to focus on my education but the Royal Ballet School has a great academic program!"

"I may not agree with his decision, Alex. You know I don't," said the woman with a frown. "I called the man enough times to tell him so but during those conversations, I learned that he really feels that he's doing the right thing for you. He loves you like he's your family."

"But he's not, not really anyway! He's not my father, no matter how much he thinks he is or—"

"Alex…" Ms. Jenny warned and Alex let out a huff, crossing her arms and glaring at the wall. "I don't want this to come between you and your guardian. Don't let your anger now make you say stuff that you'll regret later. We'll train and we'll try again. Don't forget that there's always Covent Garden when you're sixteen. I'm not going to give up on you so don't worry, okay?"

"Okay," said Alex grudgingly. She stood up and picked up her bag as she looked for her shorts to put on over her leotard as well as her sneakers. Sighing, she felt her anger that had flared up so quickly die out just as fast, leaving behind the sadness. "I do love Uncle Monty, really I do. I'm sorry I said those things. I'm just still upset because he doesn't understand how much I love dancing. I think he thinks it's still a hobby for me but it's something I love with all my heart. When I dance, I feel like the part of me that's missing from my normal life is there."

"I know," Ms. Jenny said with a smile. "We'll keep working on convincing that tough old Irishman. Now, you better get home before it gets dark. Do you need a lift?"

"No thanks, I think I need the walk anyway. I need to clear my head and calm down before I get inside my home. Will I see you tomorrow, Ms. Jenny?"

"Take the day off, Alex. Give your muscles a break and a chance for us to fix that light."

Alex nodded and left the office with a wave. Once outside, the muggy air assaulted her face like a wave on a beach. Pushing those unruly strands off her face, Alex shouldered her bag and made her way through the village. It wasn't a large village or particularly memorable. Its biggest draw was that Stonehenge was a thirty-minute drive away. Alex preferred the longer trip to the city of Oxford personally but that was more because her Uncle Monty had taken her there when she first came to live with him five years ago. He had spent the trip poking fun at the Oxford dons and telling her stories of famous Englishmen who had gone to the university long ago.

She couldn't help smiling as she recalled that day before the expression faltered. Alex couldn't help the anger and sadness that she still felt. It had been months since her guardian put his foot down and said that he would not allow her to apply for the Royal Ballet School. That was the first time the two of them had argued that fiercely and things were still very awkward in the home. For a whole month, Alex refused to speak to her uncle (the month that she had been grounded) and only started speaking after she realized silence wouldn't solve any of their problems.

Before the huge fight, Alex and her Uncle Monty had gotten along very well and had been thick as thieves. When Alex's grandparents died very suddenly, she had no family left to look after her. Uncle Monty really wasn't her uncle but one of her mum's good friends. He was unmarried, childless, and looking for company. He agreed to become her legal guardian. Life was different with her uncle, and not just because she had moved from a farm in America to a manor in the English countryside. Uncle Monty worked at a bank and was gone for most of the day. He also was a terrible cook and had a woman hired to cook for him. Alex put a stop to this situation two years ago by reading cookbooks at the local library and becoming the honorary chief of the family as soon as she could see over the top of the stove. Their house was large and had been in Uncle Monty's family for generations. Despite this, he kept the house clean and dust free. Alex never understood how but didn't question it. If she could cook all the meals, the least he could do was keep the house clean.

Alex waved to people as she walked, knowing practically everyone the village. The local kids shouted her name as they rushed by on their bikes, wanting to know if she was coming to the playground later after dinner. She declined, having promised her best friend Erin Malloy that they'd hang out that evening. Slowly, the buildings became fewer and farther between and Alex found herself outside a gated estate. A long time ago, it was a wealthy landowner's home. However, the grounds were now overgrown and the house dilapidated. It seemed that the owners had long abandoned the place. Alex leaned her head against the rusting bars and stared up at the house as her mind drifted back to practice and the shattered light. It was just so strange how that kind of stuff seemed to happen so often with her…

As she thought, her fingers traveled to the necklace that hung around her neck and had been tucked into her leotard. Pulling it out, she looked down at the heart-shaped locket in the palm of her hand. She ran her thumb over the outside before pulling it open to see the pictures of her parents. Alex looked exactly like her mother with the Italian skin and hair. With a name like Alana Tortelli, it was clear were Alex got her Italian heritage from. Her father, David Ratcliff, was a handsome blonde man with blue-grey eyes. While her eyes weren't the exact same color as her father's, Alex liked to think that she got her strange-colored eyes from his side of the family.

The sound of wood snapping caused Alex to start and look around. It seemed to come from the woods that surrounded the estate on the other side of the gate. Was someone in there? Had some of the older kids decided to go into the mansion on a dare? Testing the gate, it opened without any problems. Curiosity overcoming any fear or anxiety, Alex walked through quietly and strained her ears and eyes for the slightest sound or movement. Then, all of a sudden, she heard a noise to her left. She turned and saw a bush moving in front of her. Quietly as she could, she moved towards the movement, picking up a stick to use in defense. The thing jumped out and Alex leapt back while letting out a small yell, stick raised to strike.

It was just a rabbit.

Laughing at her stupidity, Alex threw her stick away and the noise caused the rabbit to take off. She turned and made her way back to where she came in. Of course it wasn't the kids acting up. She had seen a bunch of them heading to the playground. Besides, who'd want to go up to that dump anyway? As Alex closed the gate behind her, she looked up and gasped. Leaning against a tree, a boy with sleek blond hair and a pinched, sickly looking face was sneering at her.

"Well, what do we have here?" he said, still sneering.

Alex stood, still too shocked to speak. She didn't recognize him from the village. Tourist maybe? The boy started walking over to the gate, making Alex back away. She finally got control over herself.

"W-Who are you?" she asked, clearing her throat. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," he said in a mocking tone.

"Yeah, and I live in Buckingham Palace," said Alex with a frown, calming down once she realized the boy was real and not a ghost or anything else creepy. "Just look at that place, it's falling apart! No one lives there. Seriously, you should get away before you hurt yourself. And…what's that you're wearing anyway?" She just noticed that the boy was wearing jean cut-offs with a bright orange polo that looked like a dress on him. On his feet were black sandals with one white tennis sock and one black one.

"It's like what you're wearing," he said defensively.

"Uh…no, it's not," Alex said with a chuckle. Not wanting to make the boy more uncomfortable, she continued, "Anyway, you still haven't explained why you were hiding out in the bushes. You gave me quite a fright, you know."

"It's my house and I can do whatever I want," the boy said with a sulky frown.

"Oh right, I forgot this is "your house", please forgive me," said Alex with a hint of sarcasm and a grin.

"Where do you live?" asked the boy, shoving his hands in his pockets after pulling his shirt out of the way.

"Just up the road a little further," Alex replied, pointing away from the village. "My uncle and I live there together." She was quickly able to see that this boy wasn't dangerous and she was close enough to her house that she could run there if he did suddenly become dangerous. Looking at the boy, Alex could tell he was just lonely.

"Where are your parents?" the boy asked and Alex flinched at the dreaded question.

"They died when I was a baby."

"Oh." The boy looked down at his feet and kicked a small rock away from him. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't kill them," offered Alex with a small smile. "Some drunk driver slammed into their car one night."

"Oh…er, right," the boy said, looking confused for a moment but before Alex could comment, he continued, "So if you live outside the village, why are you coming from there?"

"My dance school is down there. I've been dancing ballet since I came to England."

"You're not from England?"

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?" Alex asked with a laugh. "It's kind of complicated. My parents were English but my mum's parents moved to America while my mum and her sister were in university. When my parents died, I went to live with them. They passed away suddenly so I was shipped back here."

"Do you miss it? America, I mean," he asked, walking closer to the gate but still a safe distance away from it.

Alex raised an eyebrow and shifted the bag to her other shoulder. She didn't feel comfortable talking about her past and her dead grandparents with a boy she had just met, lonely or not. "That's a rather personal question for only having just met me," she said slowly. "I'll tell you what, though: I don't have class tomorrow so we could go to the playground."

"I…I dunno," the boy replied, looking back at the house anxiously. "My parents don't let me go into the village. I probably shouldn't even be talking to you. They wouldn't like me talking to someone like you."

"What, a girl?" asked Alex in a joking tone. However, seeing the boy's concern, she quickly became serious and walked closer to the gate. "You mean that you've never left these grounds before?" He shook his head and Alex straightened up to her full height as she continued, "Then it's settled. I'll come back tomorrow at two and we'll have adventures. Can you sneak away from your parents for a few hours?"

"Yeah, my father is working and my mother's planning on meeting family. I can pretend to be sick and stay home for the day," the boy replied with a sly smile.

"Great, I'll meet you here tomorrow then. Oh, I don't think I ever introduced myself," said Alex with a chuckle. Extending her hand through the gate she said, "Alexandria Ratcliff, but you can call me Alex."

"Draco Malfoy, at your service," the blonde said, shaking her hand.

"That's a cool name," remarked Alex. "Tomorrow, I'll have to ask where it came from. However, I should head home before my uncle worries. Good-bye Draco and it was nice to meet you!"

"Likewise," Draco said quietly with a wave as Alex grinned back and took off down the road.

Alex soon reached her own home and saw her uncle's car parked in the garage. Unlocking the front door, she threw her bag in a corner and rushed into the kitchen. Sitting at the table with a paper in his face was her adopted uncle, Elian Montgomery. Her guardian lowered the paper, revealing a gentleman in his mid-forties with thinning and greying auburn hair and sparkling green eyes flecked with gold. He was still roguishly handsome despite his age and threw her a crooked smile as he folded the paper up.

"I was getting worried that you wouldn't come home," her uncle said in his calming, soft tone.

"Sorry, I did get out early but I ran into someone along the way," returned Alex, going to the stove and turning it on. Moving about the kitchen with practiced ease, she got out pots and pans.

"Since when does Ms. Jenny let you out early? I thought she'd be cracking the whip harder than ever because…"

"Because I'll be a year behind the others at White Garden?" Alex supplied, unable to keep the bitter tone out. Sighing, she turned to her guardian. "I'm sorry, I don't want to argue about that anymore. What's done is done and Ms. Jenny said she won't give up on me so I'm not going to be upset about it anymore. I'm sorry that I've been so horrid to you, Uncle Monty. I know you're only doing this because you love me."

"I do love you, Alex." Uncle Monty stood up and embraced the girl. "I may not be your blood relative but I love you just like they did. It may not seem like it now, but I know you'll understand that I know what I'm doing." He kissed the top of her head and patted her arm as he asked, "So, what's for dinner tonight?"

"Grilled chicken and potato salad with asparagus sautéed in olive oil. I whipped up the potato salad this morning before going to practice and the chicken shouldn't take too long to grill. The vegetables will be quick too."

"Sounds delicious!" her uncle said, patting his stomach as he went back to his paper. "Why did Ms. Jenny let you out early today, by the way?"

"There was an accident at the studio…" Alex stated slowly. She heard the paper crinkle and knew her uncle had put it down to stare at her. "I was dancing and the light blew out. Glass got everywhere so we couldn't use it anymore and it was near the end of the practice anyway so she sent me home."

"Oh my…Alex, did you get hurt?" her uncle asked, getting to his feet and coming over to look at her carefully.

"No, I leapt away before the glass could come down on me. Honestly, I'm fine. It just freaked us out, that's all." Alex turned away to go to the refrigerator and pulled out the chicken cutlets.

"This isn't the first time that this has happened, is it Alex?"

Alex froze, chicken in hand, and turned around to face her guardian. "How…?"

"You wouldn't be so worried if it was just a freak accident. Shaken up, obviously, but not as frightened as you look now," Uncle Monty explained. "When you dance, do you feel a buzzing sensation throughout your body? Like all your nerve endings are on fire and hypersensitive? Is it like a part of you that you've been missing is finally there?"

Alex could only gape at her uncle in utter shock. "I…yes! It's like my whole body comes alive and nothing else matters. I'm free and…and…"

"Powerful?"

"Yeah!" Alex laughed, looking at her guardian. "You do understand what it feels like. I thought you didn't know how much it meant to be, but you do get it."

"I do understand, Alex," he replied with a sad smile. "I know exactly what you're going through right now. I also know that what you are feeling is why you can't go to the Royal Ballet School. Now, don't interrupt," said Uncle Monty, holding up his hand when Alex started to speak. "I have to talk to some people but I promise by tomorrow night, all will be explained. I think it's time you met a friend of mine."

Her guardian kissed the top of her head hurriedly before rushing off, most likely to his office. Alex was left holding the raw chicken and feeling very confused. Knowing that her uncle would explain in his own time and nothing she said or did could change that, she resigned herself to going about preparing dinner.

_Author's Note: Hello readers! I am so excited to be publishing this edited version of my story. I've spent a lot of time going through all my versions of the books and figuring out what should be added and taken out. I love my characters and really wanted to make them even better for you all. I'd love to hear what you think! Constructive criticism is more than welcome, so long as it's not flames. If you really hate something, tell me __why__ you hate it! Leave your thoughts in the lovely review box below! Thank you again to everyone for supporting this series and asking for me to post more chapters. Although this may not have been what you had in mind when you asked me to update, I hope you still enjoyed it. :D_


	2. Chapter 2 More Questions Than Answers

_Disclaimer: __I do not own _Harry Potter_ or the characters created by the extremely talented J.K. Rowling. I only own the characters and plot lines you don't recognize from the original story._

Previously in _Living for the Moment: Book 1_…

"_I have to talk to some people but I promise by tomorrow night, all will be explained. I think it's time you met a friend of mine."_

_Her guardian kissed the top of her head hurriedly before rushing off, most likely to his office. Alex was left holding the raw chicken and feeling very confused. Knowing that her uncle would explain in his own time and nothing she said or did could change that, she resigned herself to going about preparing dinner…_

Chapter 2 More Questions Than Answers

"And your uncle just left you standing there in the kitchen?" Erin asked as the two girls sat on the roof outside of Alex's bedroom window, two bowls of soupy leftover ice cream between them.

"Yeah, it was really weird," replied Alex with a sigh. "I thought that since he knew how much dancing meant to me, he'd let me pursue it. It sounded like this friend of his wasn't involved in the Royal Ballet School, though."

"Maybe your uncle knows someone in the Russian ballet!" said Erin eagerly, sitting upright and facing her best friend as she brushed her light brown fringe out of her sapphire eyes. "Your uncle said that you couldn't go to the Royal Ballet School but nothing about the Vaganova Academy. Didn't you say that your uncle has traveled a lot for work? Maybe he knows someone!"

"Erin," Alex laughed, leaning back against the side of her home, "Uncle Monty traveled through the British Isles and in America, not Eastern Europe. Besides, Vaganova doesn't take international students until they're sixteen."

"Oh." Erin returned to her position of laying out on the roof, looking up at the stars. "Who do you think your uncle wants you to see, then?"

"I haven't the foggiest. All I know is that I knocked on his office door after I made dinner to see if he'd come down and I heard him talking with a man on the phone. Whoever the man was though, he was talking pretty loud because I heard two sets of voices coming from the other side of the door."

"You sure no one was in there with him?" Erin asked, frowning.

"Positive. Uncle Monty wanted me to bring his dinner inside for him and when I came into the office, there was no one in there. I would have heard the front door opening and closing from the kitchen too; I always hear it when Uncle Monty comes back from work."

"Did you hear anything they had been talking about?"

"No," replied Alex forlornly, "they were speaking too quietly for me to make the words out. I guess I'll find out tomorrow though. It's just weird because Uncle Monty never hides stuff from me. I'm worried that whoever this is, he's coming here for a serious reason."

There was a long stretch of silence as the two girls mulled over the words that had been spoken. Alex looked up to the stars and smiled softly. One of the perks of living in the country was that the stars were always so bright. She didn't remember much about her life with her grandparents but Alex did remember how bright the stars could get at night when she would be out in the middle of their Montana horse ranch.

"Oh, I ran into a new kid today," said Alex suddenly, changing the subject to something less grim. "He's a little odd but nice enough. His name is Draco Malfoy, do you know any kid named that around here?" Erin had lived in the town her entire life, as had her parents, so she knew more people than Alex did.

"Definitely not, I'd remember hearing _that_ name around," her friend replied. "Maybe he's from the next town over and was visiting with his parents? Or was he a tourist?"

"No, I asked him where he lived and he said the abandoned mansion next door to us. He said that his parents never let him leave those grounds. Sounds to me like they're those weirdos who don't believe in electricity or medicine or that kind of stuff."

"Ah, I heard my mum talk about them before," said Erin with a nod. "What a shame to be raised like that without a choice in the matter. Anyway, you going to see this boy again?"

"Yeah, tomorrow I'm going to take him into the village to the playground. He said he's never seen the village so I wanted to show him around."

"Is he cute?" Erin asked with a sly smile.

"Eh, he's okay," replied Alex, shrugging. "When he doesn't sneer or give off this air of condescension, he's all right-looking. He's just so pale!"

"Welcome to England, Alex," said Erin with a laugh. "Aren't we all a bunch of pale, funny-talking people with ugly teeth?"

"Shut up! I was five when I said that, okay?" Alex cried, shoving her friend lightly while recalling her first response when Erin had tried to be her friend and asked what she thought of England so far. "God forbid I had a few stereotypes coming in to a new country."

"Well now you are a seasoned Brit, accent and all. Actually, except for when you're pissed off because then your American accent really comes out." Erin threw her friend a grin as she sat up and stretched. "Anyway, I should head home before my mum calls the coppers on me again. You want to come over Sunday for lunch? Then you can tell me all about the mysterious man your uncle is bringing over…and about the just "okay" pale friend of yours."

"Sounds good, Erin." Alex waved as her friend went over to the nearby tree and used it to climb down instead of going through the window and out the front door of the house. She chuckled at her friend's preferred method of leaving and shifted so that she was lying down and looking upward.

Constellations had always fascinated Alex. There had been countless nights when she and Uncle Monty had laid on this roof together while he pointed out different stars and told her the myths behind them. She searched until she found the constellation Draco, thinking of the new friend she had made that day. The story went that the dragon constellation was named after the dragon Ladon who guarded Hera's golden apples of immortality. Hercules killed the dragon during his twelve labors. Personally, Alex preferred the legend that said that the goddess Minerva killed the dragon and tossed it into the sky, where the dragon froze before he could straighten himself out. Who said that only men were the heroes?

"Find any answers in the stars?" Alex turned her head to see her uncle poking his own head out of her window. She scooted over so that he would have enough room as he opened the window wide and climbed out. "I'm getting too old for this," he groaned, leaning against the wall.

"You're not old, Uncle Monty," said Alex with a small smile. "Anyway, you can't find answers in the stars. My teacher told us that stars are just balls of burning gas and most of them are probably dead but are so far away that we still see them."

"This is what my money is paying for: the murder of imagination, one penny at a time," sighed Uncle Monty.

"I like the stories better. I don't care that there probably weren't any dragons soaring the skies or three-headed dogs with snake tails guarding the underworld. Those stories are a lot better than reality, don't you think?" Alex asked, turning back to the sky wistfully.

"Aye, that they are," her uncle replied. "But Alex, don't write off those stories as completely fantasy. You might be surprised how much truth is in those mythologies. The Greeks and Romans were pretty smart, a lot smarter than people are now I'd say."

"Yeah, I know. There are the whole "morals of the story" and "take-away lessons"," said Alex, looking at her uncle sideways. "Still, how cool would it be to see a dragon?"

"I'd say pretty cool, so long as you avoid the teeth and fire," quipped Uncle Monty, causing Alex to grin. "Now come on, dearie. You should get to sleep."

Alex nodded and climbed through the window, getting ready for bed and quickly pushing the blankets down to the end of her bed as she waited for her uncle to come in again to say good night. The mid-July night was warm and humid, despite the air conditioning blasting from other window units throughout the house. When her uncle finally came in, Alex plucked up all her courage to ask her uncle a question.

"Uncle Monty, this friend of yours that I'm going to meet, who is he?"

Her Uncle Monty didn't answer right away, looking out the window as a shadow crossed his face. He suddenly looked much older and more tired. Sighing heavily, he sat on the side of her bed and put a hand on Alex's arm, the one with the scar on it.

"He's by far the most kind, the most generous, and the most brilliant man I have ever met," said Uncle Monty quietly. "He's also the only one who can tell you everything about your parents and answer all your questions."

"He knew my mum and dad?" asked Alex eagerly.

"Well, he knew your mum and aunt better than your father, but he still knew your father relatively well," her guardian replied. "I asked him to come here tomorrow for dinner so he can talk to you. It's about time you learned everything about your parents. You've never really asked about them."

Alex shrugged and looked down at her hands. She had never asked about her parents because her grandparents refused to talk about them. Alex remembered them yelling so loudly whenever she brought them up so she quickly learned to avoid the taboo subject. When Alex came to live in England, she had casually brought up her parents to her new guardian. He had seemed hesitant to talk about them and said that he hadn't spoken to her parents in years before they had passed away. The only memories she had were the pictures in the locket around her neck. That didn't mean that she didn't think about her parents, she thought about them practically everyday. However, she had yet to find someone who would talk to her about them or who knew them at all.

The thought of a man coming that knew her parents sparked Alex's long-dormant curiosity. What had her parents been like? How had they met? Did they truly love each other? What kind of jobs did they have? What were their dreams? Had they wanted more kids? These questions and more suddenly swirled around in her mind and Alex put a hand to her forehead to try and steady them.

"I never thought anyone besides my grandparents knew them that well," said Alex quietly. "I mean, you were my mum's friend but you said yourself once that you hadn't seen her in years before she died. My grandparents refused to talk about my mum and dad so when they died, I figured I'd never really know everything about them."

"Well tomorrow, you'll learn everything. However, you won't be able to do that if you don't get some sleep. Good night, dearie." Uncle Monty bent forward and kissed Alex's forehead before rising to his feet and going to the door, closing it quietly behind him.

Alex rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. The day had been full of strange encounters and it seemed the next day would be more of the same. Deciding to get some sleep and silence the musings of her brain, Alex closed her eyes and forced herself to not think about anything but her tired muscles. Soon, she was fast asleep.

The next morning, Alex woke up at nine and automatically started getting ready as though she was going to the studio. However, halfway through brushing her long thick hair back in a bun, she remembered that she was given the day off and that she was meeting with her new friend Draco at two o'clock. Then afterwards, she would be meeting with the man who knew her parents. A feeling of nervous energy that she had suppressed the night before finally came bubbling over the surface and she had to take a deep, calming breath. Alex threw her hair back in a long braid to give her hands something to do and went downstairs to make herself breakfast. She was surprised to find Uncle Monty sitting at the kitchen table. It was a Friday and normally her uncle was at work by eight.

"Did you take the day off?" asked Alex, giving her guardian a kiss on the top of his head as she made her way to a drawer to get some bread for French toast.

"As a matter of fact, I did. I was thinking the two of us could do the shopping for tonight since we don't have much in the way of guest-approved food," said Uncle Monty, folding his paper and smiling jovially.

"Okay, sure! I'm meeting up with a friend at two though, so maybe we can go right after breakfast?"

"Of course, dearie. Who are you meeting with?"

Alex moved through the kitchen to grab the ingredients she needed as she replied, "I met a kid while walking home from the village yesterday. He's new in town and I wanted to take him to the playground so he can meet the others."

"Does he have a name?" her uncle asked, eyebrow raised.

"Drake," she replied, deciding to fudge the name a little bit. She didn't know why but something inside her told her that telling the full truth to her guardian would lead to a messy situation. She turned around to face her guardian as she continued, "He's a good guy, kind of quiet but nice. I'm definitely stronger than he is and I'll bring my pepper spray if it makes you feel any better."

"That's my girl," Uncle Monty said with a grin while Alex chuckled and went back to cooking.

After an eventful shopping trip where her uncle and she raced their carts down the aisles in attempts to beat each other and almost colliding with an elderly woman on a motorized scooter, Alex helped put the groceries away and rushed out the door with the promise of coming home in time to get dinner started. She was going to make chicken piccata with angel hair pasta for themselves and their guest. Alex ran down the hill and soon found herself standing in front of the rusted gates of the abandoned mansion. She still didn't fully believe that Draco lived in that house with his family; maybe there was an old servant's house on the property somewhere?

"You showed up." Alex looked to her left and saw Draco leaning against a nearby tree. He wore the tiniest of smiles across his pale face and stepped out of the shadows and into the light. Today he had on a pair of black cargo shorts and dress-length white polo shirt with black knee-high socks and sandals.

"Of course I did! Did you doubt that I would?" asked Alex with a smile. She could easily fix his outfit so that he blended in better with the local kids.

"Of course not," he replied quickly and she saw right through his attempt at playing it cool. "Ready to go, then?"

"I am, yes. But first, take those socks off and leave them here," she commanded, slipping a hair-tie off her wrist in the process.

"What's wrong with my socks?" demanded Draco haughtily.

"I don't know who dressed you this morning but you look like an eighty-year-old tourist with those socks and sandals. When you're done with that, come here and I'll fix your shirt so that it isn't so baggy." When Draco didn't make a move to either take his socks off or come over to her, she sighed and added, "I'm helping you out here, Draco. I don't want the other kids to pick on you for looking weird. Believe me, I know what it's like to be different and get made fun of for that."

Draco eyed the elastic in her hand warily before he slowly slipped his feet out of his shoes and peeled his socks off, throwing them under a nearby tree. He pushed the gates open so Alex could pass through and she began pulling up his shirt to his hips. Draco froze, muscles tense, and Alex gave him a comforting smile.

"So I was thinking that since you've never gone into the village before, I'd take you to the main square first and point out the major sites. Afterwards, we could go to the playground if you'd like and I could introduce you to the other kids. They're always hanging out there," she explained as she tied her hair-tie around the excess fabric and tucked it underneath the bottom of the shirt. She stepped back, admiring her handiwork, and threw Draco a grin. "Ready?" she asked.

He nodded and walked with her to the edge of the fence. There he stopped, looking around warily. Alex stood in the street, waiting patiently for him to take the next step forward. She watched as he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped over. He opened his eyes, looked down at himself and back at the house, before throwing her a huge excited smile. It made his entire face light up and look less sickly.

"Well, come on then, Muggle! Let's go!" he laughed, racing ahead down the road towards the village. Alex frowned at the strange nickname but followed him anyway. Perhaps it was some foreign term of friendship that she had never heard of before.

The village square had a huge, circular fountain in the middle. At the top of the fountain, a large scaly creature had its wings spread wide and its mouth turned upward, the water spouting out and down its chest and back. Toddlers splashed each other while parents watched on, trying to avoid the water but staying close enough to grab any child who looked like they were going to fall in. A few couples sat a safe distance away, holding hands and leaning against each other. It was a beautiful day and everyone wanted to be outside to enjoy it. The local ice cream shop had a line out the door and a few tourists mingled about, taking photos. Alex turned to ask where Draco wanted to go first but found him a few feet behind her, looking around with wide eyes. Shaking her head, she went back and grabbed his hand.

"Stay close, Malfoy," Alex said with a smirk. "I can't lose you now, can I? Let's find a place to sit down so I can explain everything to you."

They found a bench under a tree and there they sat as Alex explained the history behind the fountain. Apparently many years ago, a rich family who held positions of power in the town commissioned the local smiths to make the fountain in their honor. Their family sigil had a dragon on it so that was what the creature was meant to be.

"Personally, I think it looks more like a snake with wings or a scaly bird of myth than a dragon," said Alex with a shrug.

The family eventually fell out of power and had to sell part of their land and a home on the property to make money. The people who bought the house and surrounding land were ancestors of her Uncle Monty, hence why he inherited the large house. Later on, the family died off but the fountain remained. The mansion on the hill next to Uncle Monty's home fell into ruin and no one had been seen in the mansion in years.

"The fountain is all that remains of the great family's wealth and power," she ended her story.

"Do you know the family's name?" asked Draco, looking down at the hands clasped tightly in his lap.

"Nope, not a clue. No one knows anymore, I'd expect. There's no name on the fountain and, like I said, that house has been abandoned for quite a long time. I guess your family lives somewhere on the property, then? Maybe in one of the old servant cottages?"

"Er…yeah, yeah that's what I meant yesterday," he replied awkwardly. "My ancestors were the caretakers a long time ago and we still live there today."

"Wow, I bet that mansion was something in its prime," said Alex wistfully, her mind drifting off to a different time. Realizing she had been zoning out, she shook her head and returned to the present. "Anyway, all the streets in the village lead to this square so as long as you know where you are in relation to here, you can't really get lost. My dance school is a block to the left and the playground is straight ahead. The ice cream parlor is right next to the bank behind us and the bookstore is that building to the right with the green roof."

"You like to read?"

"No, I _love_ to read," Alex clarified with a laugh. "Nothing makes me happier than being in that bookstore for hours. Well, nothing besides dancing."

"It sounds like you're really dedicated to it," said Draco. "Are you any good?"

Alex raised an eyebrow at the boy and replied frankly, "I'm bloody fantastic."

_Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter. I wanted to post this sooner but had a huge examination this morning that I've been studying for over the past year. So glad to have that done so I have more time to write! I wanted to respond to my lovely reviewers so here you go:_

xXxCorsaRoo450xXx:_ Haha, thank you for being my first reviewer! I hope your "Ooh" was because you enjoyed it and not because you hated it… ;P_

CartoonGurl201m:_ Thank you so much for your review! I try to look out for grammar errors but I know they can be quite elusive creatures and hard to spot. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

Xal (Guest):_ I'm sorry if the loss of chapters confused you. I took them all down when I updated the first chapter since everything is getting re-written anyway. I'll be updating with a new chapter every few days or so. I'm glad you were excited to keep reading though and hope you enjoyed the new chapter!_

_Thank you to my first reviewers for the updated story! I always appreciate hearing your thoughts on my writing so far. Also, I can't forget all the people who have favorited and followed both this story and me as an author. Getting those email alerts from the site always makes me excited. Don't forget to tell me what you liked or didn't like about this chapter! :D_


	3. Chapter 3 Arguments and Meetings

_Disclaimer: __I do not own _Harry Potter_ or the characters created by the extremely talented J.K. Rowling. I only own the characters and plot lines you don't recognize from the original story._

Previously in _Living for the Moment: Book 1_…

"_You like to read?"_

"_No, I love to read," Alex clarified with a laugh. "Nothing makes me happier than being in that bookstore for hours. Well, nothing besides dancing."_

"_It sounds like you're really dedicated to it," said Draco. "Are you any good?"_

_Alex raised an eyebrow at the boy and replied frankly, "I'm bloody fantastic."_

Chapter 3 Arguments and Meetings

"Show me," Draco challenged, a haughty smirk on his face.

Alex nodded and quickly rose to her feet, dragging Draco by the sleeve of his shirt to the dancing studio. When they arrived, she led them through the front door and she held up a hand to signal that he wait in the lobby for a moment. Alex looked into the offices and saw Ms. Jane sitting at her desk. The woman was in her mid-forties and wore her reading glasses on the edge of her nose. Black hair that was just starting to show a few grey hairs was pulled back in a tight ballerina bun as her blue-green eyes scanned the pile of bills in front of her. When she saw Alex, Ms. Jane grinned widely.

"Alex, it's good to see you, my dear! Ms. Jenny isn't in today; she said that she gave you the day off after that accident yesterday."

"I know she did. I just wanted to practice my split jumps. I know I can get them higher and better if I just keep practicing," said Alex, putting on her most innocent charm.

"You are relentless, aren't you? That's good; discipline is necessary if you want to make it anywhere in ballet." Ms. Jane stood up and went to one of the studio rooms, unlocking the door and opening it for Alex. "I was just finishing up some financial stuff so when you're finished, don't forget to lock up like you usually do."

"Yes, Ms. Jane. Thank you so much."

The older woman just smiled and went back to her office, closing the door. Alex went out to where Draco was waiting and went to her cubbyhole, grabbing the extra pair of slippers that she kept there. There was nothing worse than getting all the way to the studio and then realizing she had forgotten to grab her shoes.

"Prepare to be amazed, buddy," she whispered to Draco as they slipped into the practice room and she shut the door.

"Why didn't you say that I was here too?" asked Draco, going towards the mirrors while Alex slipped on her shoes and went to the barre to warm up.

"Ms. Jane and Ms. Jenny don't like it when people come in to watch us dance outside of the lessons," she explained as she felt the familiar pull of her muscles as they stretched. "Recitals are one thing since we've finished the routine but we already had it a few months ago. Ms. Jenny told me that I couldn't invite friends in here after she taught me how to lock the place up. She and Ms. Jane don't want strange people they don't know in their studio. However, I had to show you how good I am so I'm willing to bend the rules to prove myself right."

Alex grinned wickedly as she placed her leg on the barre and leaned forward, continuing, "You should consider yourself lucky; I don't break the rules of this studio for everyone. Erin's the only other person I've snuck in here before."

"Erin?"

"My best friend. I've known her since I arrived in England."

"When did you move back to England?" Draco asked, sitting on the floor with his back to the mirrors.

"I was five when my grandparents died and a few weeks after their funeral, my Uncle Monty brought me here to live with him," she explained. "I don't remember much of America, just that my grandparents raised horses. We lived in the northwestern part of the country, Montana to be precise, and at night, the sky would light up with millions of stars. My grandpa and I would sit out there together at night and we would try to count them. We never were able to, no matter how hard I tried to stay awake." Realizing she had been going on about herself, Alex decided to turn the tables. "Have you lived here your entire life?"

"Yeah, only here in Wiltshire. It's just my parents and myself."

"You're an only child too?" she asked and he nodded. "So if you've never left those grounds before, what do you do for fun? Where do you go to school?"

"My mum teaches me at home. As to what I do for fun, I like reading too. Although," he added hastily, seeing Alex's face light up, "I don't think we read the same kind of books."

"I dunno, I read quite a wide variety," said Alex cheerfully as she finished her stretches and did a few warm-up positions. "I like the classics, particularly British literature, but I also love fantasy novels. Have you read _The Gunslinger_ by Stephen King? That's a favorite of mine. Oh, and of course there's C.S. Lewis and his series of books. I think he and J.R.R Tolkien are my two favorite authors of fantasy works. They were good friends, did you know that?"

"No, I didn't."

"Yeah, they were friends at Oxford. Anyway, what have you read recently?"

"Are you going to talk the entire time or are you going to dance?" Draco questioned with annoyance, not looking at her.

Alex held up her hands in surrender and went to the stereo, flipping through a pile of CDs until she found the one she was looking for. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought Draco was trying to dodge her simple question. Once everything was in order, she walked out to the middle of the room and waited for her music to start. She soon began her routine and was moving about the room. Everything fell away and she soon forgot that Draco was there, watching her. All that mattered was the music in her ears and the pounding of blood through her body. The feeling of wholeness and happiness flooded her entire being and Alex began to also feel that creeping sense of power build up within her.

Suddenly, her mind flashed back to the shattering light and she stumbled slightly during her pirouette, quickly righting herself and going back to her routine. However, she lost her full concentration and, with it, the familiar feeling she usually had while dancing. Instead of continuing on after the part she had learned up to, Alex stopped and took her pose as the music continued to play. Panting slightly from the exercise, she walked over to the stereo and turned off the music.

"Well? Am I any good?" she asked triumphantly.

Draco shrugged, getting to his feet at not looking at her again. "It was okay, certainly not as amazing as you made yourself out to be."

Alex gaped at him, fuming silently. The power she had felt while dancing surged within her and her vision blurred in her anger. Suddenly, the light above them flickered brightly. Draco looked up at it with confusion and then looked paler than normal.

"Oh no," he muttered to himself, turning away from her and taking deep breaths. Alex's anger abated slowly as the light above them stopped flickering and returned to a normal voltage. After a few moments, Draco turned around and looked her in the eye with the most apologetic look she had ever seen him. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I lost control and was rude to you. You really did dance wonderfully. I could literally feel what you were feeling."

"Oh." Alex didn't know how to respond to this sudden change in demeanor. Deciding not to mention that she too had almost lost her temper, she replied with, "Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. They say a good dancer can make others feel emotion. Anyway, you weren't _that_ rude to me. You didn't call me any names, just wounded my pride a bit."

"How long have you been dancing for?" he asked with interest.

"I started a few months after I moved here. My uncle wanted me to have something to help me make new friends. I fell in love with ballet the moment I performed in my first recital. You know," she said with a grin, "I can teach you some stuff if you'd like."

"I dunno," said Draco warily. "It seems kind of girly, prancing around like that. Not that it's easy," he quickly added, seeing Alex's deep frown, "but it's not my thing."

"I suppose you prefer football, right?" Alex asked with an eye-roll. "All the boys here love kicking that football back and forth to each other, doing tricks around it."

"I've never played before." Draco shrugged when Alex looked at him in surprise. "I've never heard of it before either."

"What rock have you been living under?" she asked, amazed. Slipping off her dance shoes and putting her sneakers on, Alex continued, "We'll go to the park next. Maybe one of the boys will have an extra football for us to practice with."

Alex locked up the studio with the key hidden under the mat, since Ms. Jane had already left, and the two children walked to the playground. There was a huge open field where a majority of the kids were playing a game of football, dirt kicking up from the weeks of no rain. There was a pair of swings and a slide a couple feet away from the field where the kids too young to play the game were watching and occasionally pushing each other down the rusted slide. One of the boys who played goalie saw them approaching and waved.

"Wotcher Alex! Hop on in, we're even now so you and your friend can split up," the boy shouted, his blonde hair sticking to his forehead with sweat and his hazel eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Thanks Eric, but we're going to sit this game out. Do you or the others have an extra ball for us to pass back and forth?"

"Sure, can you sound off though? Rodger has one but he's too far for me to shout and I can't leave my post."

Alex nodded with a sly grin and turned to Draco, saying, "You should cover your ears right now."

Draco looked confused but complied without question. Alex put two fingers in her mouth and let out an ear-splitting whistle that sounded out over the field. Everyone stopped and looked around until they saw Alex waving.

"Rodger, give Alex your football," called Eric.

"You didn't have to make our bloody ears bleed, could've just asked like a _normal_ person," complained Rodger as he jogged to his backpack and pulled it out, chucking it hard at Alex's head. She caught it with quick reflexes and smiled sweetly at the other boy.

"Thank ya kindly, Rodger," she called out in a fake American southern accent, curtseying in a mocking fashion. Rodger responded with a rude hand gesture that resulted in Erin, who Alex hadn't noticed in the crowd, going up and slapping the boy on the back of the head.

"Quit being a prick, Rodge!" she snapped angrily. "You're just pissed that we're whooping your team's butts."

This comment resulted in shouts of protest from Rodger's team and cries of retaliation from Erin's. Alex just laughed to herself and grabbed Draco's arm, leading him away from the field and to a quieter corner by the swings. Once she quickly explained how to properly kick and stop the ball, they began sending it back and forth to each other.

"You're friends with all those kids, then?" asked Draco after a couple minutes of silence.

"Well, I know all of them. Erin was the girl who hit the rude boy. Eric, the guy who asked me to whistle, is in a bunch of my classes and the three of us have hung out together quite a bit. He helps me with my homework when I don't understand it, which is most of the time."

"You go to school in the area, then?"

Alex nodded and said, "Yeah, the local public school. I was hoping to go to secondary school at the Royal Ballet's school where they teach you while you have regular dance lessons but my uncle wouldn't let me. I guess I'll be back here this year, learning stuff that I don't like and I don't understand no matter how hard I try to learn." She sighed and stopped the ball, balancing it on the top of her foot as she continued thoughtfully, "It's so weird because I know that I'm intelligent but try as I might, some of the stuff I learn in school just confuses me. It's like my mind refuses to understand it."

"I have that trouble too," said Draco. "My mum tries to teach me stuff but it doesn't click for me. I can't wait until I can go to Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts? What a funny name for a school," Alex laughed, focusing on bouncing the ball from knee to knee before letting it drop. She kicked it back to Draco as she asked, "Is that a private school in the city or something? I've never heard of it."

"Oh…um…it's a boarding school up north," he explained, seeming nervous all of a sudden. "My parents went there so that's why I'm going there. My father wanted me to go to a school in Bulgaria but my mum insisted on this place. It's the best school for…me."

"Bulgaria? That's pretty far," said Alex with a frown. "You're parents must be pretty well-off to be able to send you to this fancy school. No offense, of course."

"Yeah, both my parents come from wealthy families," he said proudly.

"Didn't you say that your ancestors were servants to the old manor's family? How did they get to be so wealthy?"

The pride on Draco's face slipped and was replaced by anxiety. She watched as he backtracked and tried to make up excuses but she could see through him. He had been lying to her, although about what exactly she wasn't sure.

"Draco, you don't need to lie to impress me," said Alex, trying to not let her annoyance show. If there was one thing Alex hated, it was being lied to. "It's okay that you don't live in a fancy house or have nice clothes. I don't care about that kind of stuff. You don't have to come up with ridiculous names for far-off boarding schools that you say you're attending."

"I wasn't lying to you!" snapped Draco angrily. "Hogwarts is a school and I'm going there in September."

"Okay, where is it then?" When he struggled to come up with an answer, Alex snapped, "You don't even know where the school you're going to is? Come on, Draco, I'm not daft. I may not do well in school but I'm not stupid. I know when someone's trying to pull my leg!"

Alex stormed off towards the main square and to her house. She could hear Draco shouting her name behind her but kept walking. When she heard his footsteps quicken to catch up with hers, Alex ran in the hopes that he wouldn't be able to catch up to her. If she was going to be honest, she was clearly in much better shape than the boy. However, she underestimated his determination and as she reached the gates to the abandoned mansion, she felt someone grab her arm and pull her to a stop. Panting, she whipped around to see a heaving Draco, hands on his knees as he tried to take in as much air as he could.

"Merlin…you're fast," he gasped.

"Merlin? Why would you say…you know what, never mind," she snapped, not even bothering to ask why he used that name instead of some religious reference. "I don't like liars, Draco. Now you either tell me the truth about yourself or I'm not going to talk to you anymore."

"I didn't lie to you, Alex! I may have fudged the truth a little, but I didn't outright lie."

"Oh, and is that supposed to make things better?" Alex raged, eyes blazing. "Who are you, Draco Malfoy?"

Draco stared at her for a moment, indecision clouding his features, before looking towards the house and running a hand through his slicked-back hair. He let out a sigh of frustration and continued to look past the gates.

"I shouldn't have come with you. Why did I think I could be friends with someone like you?" He spoke this more to himself than her but Alex heard it and felt her anger grow.

"Someone like me? You said that before about how your parents wouldn't like you talking to "someone like me". What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" she snapped.

He finally looked at her, face full of condescension as he replied, "Nothing, just that I shouldn't have lowered myself to a level to be an acquaintance of yours."

Alex sputtered incoherently, unable to believe those words came out of his mouth. Where was the quiet, inquisitive boy she had seen snippets of throughout the day? Why was he acting like such a pompous idiot?

"You should probably go home. My parents will be back soon, I expect, and I don't want to be seen with you around," he spoke after a moment.

"With pleasure," said Alex scathingly. "You've got a lot of nerve talking to me like that, especially after I tried to be nice to you."

She turned and sprinted away, not looking back and only caring about putting as much distance between herself and Draco Malfoy as possible. As she ran, she heard him cry out, "Yeah, you better run, you filthy Muggle!" and realized that was the second time she heard that word from him, wondering dully what it meant. However, she didn't ponder its meaning long as she soon arrived at her house and slowed down to a walk as she reached the driveway, panting from the effort. It wasn't until she reached the front door and allowed herself a few minutes inside that she caught her breath.

"Alex? Is that you?" her uncle called from the kitchen. "I took out the chicken and started reading the recipe but it seems that I am hopeless without you."

Smiling slightly, Alex decided to think about her interaction with Malfoy later. She had a dinner to make and questions to prepare for her guardian's mysterious friend.

She let her guardian help prepare the food under her watchful eye and once the chicken was ready to be cooked, she ran upstairs to change out of her shorts and T-shirt. Alex wanted to make a good impression on the man. After throwing on a floral skirt and tank top, she ran into the bathroom to attempt to tame the hair that had started to fall out of her braid. As she re-wove her hair together, Alex caught her reflection in the mirror again and smiled at herself. She could do this.

It was while Alex was putting the finishing touches on the sauce that the doorbell rang. She watched with butterflies in her stomach as her guardian left to open the door. She heard the voice from her Uncle Monty's office the other night and quickly turned off the stove, running her hands under some water before drying them on a nearby towel and walking to where the two men were talking. Her bare feet barely made a sound on the wooden floors as she snuck over. Alex wanted to see this stranger before he saw her. She looked around the corner and caught her first glance at the man who apparently had all the answers she wanted.

He was older than she had expected; his voice sounded much younger than he appeared. He must have been in his late seventies to early eighties with a long, silver beard that was tucked into the trousers of his three-piece suit. The rest of his hair was the same color and also very long, falling down his back unrestricted by elastic or braids. Alex had never seen a man his age with hair that long before. His gnarled hands clutched what Alex thought looked like a cloak (but it couldn't have been because who wore those around normally?) made of blue velvet with silver designs on it.

"…trust the trip wasn't too rough for you?" her uncle was asking the stranger.

"No, not at all, Elian. I know how sick you get but I've never had that problem, despite my old age," the man joked, a kind smile adorning his face.

Alex poked her head out further to get a better glance and saw that he had sparkling blue eyes hidden behind half-moon spectacles that were perched upon a long, crooked nose. It looked as though he had broken it a long time ago and it never was set properly. He seemed like an average elderly gentleman but Alex couldn't shake the feeling that there was so much more to this man.

"Thank you for coming, Albus," said her guardian, relieved. "I've been so concerned with all the accidents lately. I've never seen anything like this before. Then she was telling me how she felt and I didn't know what else to do."

"Perfectly fine, Elian, perfectly fine. I've been meaning to come by for quite some time now and see Alexandria. It's been far too long since I've last seen her." Alex frowned to herself: had she met this man before? No, she'd remember his eyes or, at the very least, his beard. The man named Albus paused for a moment and chuckled before saying, "Although, I can see that she's just as curious as her mother was. Come out from behind the corner and let me see you properly, Alexandria."

Slowly, Alex came into full view and walked towards the stranger, stopping to stand beside her guardian. The man called Albus looked at her with kind eyes and a small smile.

"Yes, I see what you mean, Elian. She looks exactly like her mother did at her age. In fact, she, her mother, and Elizabeth could have been triplets."

"So you did know my parents then, sir?" asked Alex eagerly.

"I knew your mother and aunt very well. In fact, I was Headmaster of the school they attended and we worked together for a time after they graduated. I only knew your father through your mother but he was a good man." The elderly man extended his hand and introduced himself, saying, "Alexandria Ratcliff, it is a pleasure to see you again, although you most definitely don't remember me. You were only a baby at the time. My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore. I believe you have a lot of questions for me but first, I must ask if that delicious aroma coming from the kitchen is to be our dinner? If so, may we eat first? I have traveled a long way and am quite hungry for good food."

Alex agreed with a grin, leading the men into the dining room and setting everything out for them to eat. She only hoped that her burning questions would remain inside her until after they finished eating.

_Author's Note: Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was a lot of fun to write since I enjoy having Alex and Draco interact. I thought about how funny it would have been for the two of them to spend some time together before Alex realized she was a witch. As you can see, Draco managed to piss off a very volatile Alex. Believe me, dear readers, this will not be the first time… ;P Also, while I am not British, I try to write any stories that take place in England as though I am to make the story more accurate, like saying "football" instead of "soccer" and stuff like that. Please forgive anything that's not right. Now it's time for review responses:_

xXxCorsaRoo450xXx: _Haha, I had to tease you about that. I'm so glad you like the story so far! :D Alex is just a witch but we'll see throughout her time at Hogwarts that she is much more powerful than your average witch. ;)_

CartoonGurl201m: _Thanks for letting me know! I don't have a beta so I do all my own editing. It's reassuring to know that I'm doing a good job. And you were right! The visitor is Dumbledore. I really do like Dumbledore, despite the fact he kept Harry in the dark a lot. Most of my favorite lines from the books are things that Dumbledore said. :D_

_Next chapter, you'll finally get to see Alex learning that she's a witch. It's going to be quite fun! A huge thank you to everyone who's favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! Please let me know what you think of the story so far! :D_


	4. Chapter 4 Time for Explanations

_Disclaimer: __I do not own _Harry Potter_ or the characters created by the extremely talented J.K. Rowling. I only own the characters and plot lines you don't recognize from the original story._

Previously in _Living for the Moment: Book 1_…

_The elderly man extended his hand and introduced himself, saying, "Alexandria Ratcliff, it is a pleasure to see you again. My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore. I believe you have a lot of questions for me but first, I must ask if that delicious aroma coming from the kitchen is to be our dinner? If so, may we eat first? I have traveled a long way and am quite hungry for good food."_

_Alex agreed with a grin, leading the men into the dining room and setting everything out for them to eat. She only hoped that her burning questions would remain inside her until after they finished eating._

Chapter 4 Time for Explanations

"So Alexandria, your uncle tells me that you are an accomplished dancer," Professor Dumbledore said after a few minutes of silence only punctuated by the sound of utensils sliding against plates as they cut into their food.

"Yes sir, I've done ballet since coming to England," she replied politely. "I love it more than anything else in the world."

"I see. And your academics, how are they going?"

Alex shifted uncomfortably and replied, "All right, I suppose. I do try and study hard. I have tutors for all my classes. It just doesn't sink in very well and I have to work so hard to get a decent grade. I hope it'll all be worth it in the end."

"I'm sure it will be."

They spent the rest of the time talking about Alex's dancing. Her uncle would share stories about watching her dance while the professor would ask questions. It seemed that he knew a bit about the subject but not many details. Alex had no problems with filling him in. Once everyone was finished with dinner, Alex brought out blueberry pie that she and her uncle had bought at the store earlier with vanilla ice cream on the side.

By this point, she felt her stomach begin to twist and could only pick at her dessert. How much longer would she have to wait for answers? They had been talking for quite some time about her but now Alex was ready for the subject to shift. It seemed that Professor Dumbledore saw her restlessness because after a few minutes of silence, he set down his fork and pressed his fingertips together as he looked at her.

"I think you have waited long enough and thank you for allowing me to enjoy this lovely meal." Alex could only nod, too nervous to respond. "If you don't mind, I'd like to tell you some things and afterwards, you can ask questions. Is that all right, Alexandria?"

"Yes sir, so long as you call me Alex," she responded with a tiny smile.

"Very well, Alex." He smiled briefly in return before starting. "As I told you before, I knew your mother and aunt very well. They attended my school and were both very bright, although in different ways. Your aunt was an academic, always in the library pouring over some work in our vast collection. Your mother, however, preferred to spend her days with her best friends, which included her twin sister. She was good at interacting with people and could read a person very well."

He paused for a moment, looking at Uncle Monty for a moment before turning to Alex again and asking, "Has anyone ever told you how your parents died, Alex?"

"Yes sir, my grandparents did. They told me that a drunk driver swerved into their lane and hit their car head-on. They died instantly and I survived with this scar." Alex turned her arm so that the professor could better see her lightning bolt scar.

"I see." The professor looked troubled while Uncle Monty looked furious. Professor Dumbledore sighed and said, "Your grandparents did not tell you the truth, Alex. Your parents died saving you. Your mother gave up her life to protect you from a man who wanted to kill you. She refused to give you up so he killed her. You, however, survived."

Alex felt her mouth drop open, unable to believe the words she was hearing. She turned to her uncle, hoping he would be able to explain what kind of joke this was, but saw that he was somber-faced and completely serious. The usual glint in his eye was gone.

"Why would some man want to kill me when I was barely a year old?" she asked slowly.

"Because you were not only the key to his demise, but you are far more powerful than you realize," replied Dumbledore. "You have magic."

"Magic?" deadpanned Alex, unbelievingly. "You mean like Harry Houdini magic?"

"Mr. Houdini was a star pupil at a magical academy in the Balkans. However, your magic far surpasses his," the white-haired man explained. "When you dance and you feel that power coursing through your veins just waiting to be released, wanting to be released, that is magic. All those times that the lights in your studio would flicker and spark, that was your raw magic brimming over. Most children have one or two accidents in their early years but you appear to have them once or twice a month. Your uncle told me that these signs have been happening since the moment you stepped foot back on English soil."

"There are logical explanations for all those times," Alex defended. "Magic isn't real. It doesn't exist!"

"Alex, I want you to do something for me," Dumbledore said. He took his fork and placed it in the middle of the table. "I want you to make this fork levitate."

"You're mad," she whispered. "How can I do that? Uncle Monty, what is all this about?"

"Close your eyes," the elderly man replied calmly. Alex looked to her guardian, who nodded to her, and complied with a sigh of annoyance. Fine, if he wanted to play along with the mad man, Alex would do so as well. "Relax your muscles," said Dumbledore in a soothing tone. "Don't think about me or your uncle or anything right now; only focus on your breathing."

_This is ridiculous_, she thought but soon allowed herself to focus on breathing in and out. They would soon see that she was right.

"Now I want you to think about the fork you saw me place on the table," Dumbledore said after a stretch of silence. "Take in as much detail as you remember. While you are thinking about that, become aware of that powerful feeling you know from your dancing. Focus on that and let it come forward."

Alex pictured the silver fork that Dumbledore had used. It was a dessert fork so slightly smaller than normal, everyday forks. It had four peaks and a rounded bottom with some simple engraving. With that in mind, she turned her attention to the blood pumping through her and felt that tingling feeling begin to spread through her body. It grew more and more intense, but not painfully so, and she felt warmth spread through her.

Then suddenly, it stopped. Alex sighed, shaking her head. "See? I told you this is…" Alex had opened her eyes, words drifting off.

In the middle of the table, floating in midair without support, was the fork.

"…insane."

Alex gaped, eyes wide, as Dumbledore leaned forward and passed his hand above and below the object. There were no wires or anything holding it in midair.

"What's happening?" Alex whispered, panic growing as the tingling feeling came back and the fork drifted higher up. "How are you doing that?"

"_You_ are doing that, Alex," her guardian said, pride in his eyes. "You're doing that with magic."

Alex shook her head in silent denial, her breathing quickening and tingling becoming almost painful now. She didn't notice that the fork was vibrating and glowing softly but Dumbledore did and he held out his hand in a calming gesture.

"Don't be frightened. This is perfectly normal," he said.

"Normal? Normal?! This is not normal!" she shouted, rising to her feet. "There's a bloody fork in the air and you call that "normal"?"

"You need to calm down, Alex," Uncle Monty said warily.

The feelings within her became too much and Alex shut her eyes, flinging her right arm out and a burst of heat shot down her arm. She had no idea what made her make that gesture but thankfully she felt calmer. Opening her eyes, Alex saw the two men staring to her right and she turned, jaw dropping open. The fork was embedded into the wall, still moving back and forth.

"I'm calm now," she said weakly.

With a wave of Dumbledore's hand, the fork removed itself and floated to his hand. Alex sat back down, feeling drained. She could explain all the strange things that had happened before, but that? How could she explain a levitating fork jabbing itself into a wall? Turning to her uncle, she saw him looking back at her with a small smile.

"Good thing we don't bring out the fine silver very often," he joked.

Alex tried to laugh but it got caught in her throat. She was mulling over everything Professor Dumbledore had told her and couldn't shake the words out of her head.

"My parents died because I had, you know…magic?" she asked quietly.

"The man who killed your parents was consumed by power," Uncle Monty said gently. "He killed them because your mother fought against him. He didn't want anyone standing in his way."

"What was his name?" asked Alex. Her uncle looked anxious and glanced at Dumbledore, who sighed wearily.

"Most people refer to him as You-Know-Who because they are too scared to say his real name. He calls himself Lord Voldemort." Uncle Monty shuddered violently as Dumbledore continued, "You should not be afraid to say his name, Alex. Fear in a name only increases fear in the thing itself. I often refer to the man by his true name and nothing ill has befallen me.

"There was good reason to fear him, though. Many years ago, a fanatical group of witches and wizards who followed the beliefs of Lord Voldemort were murdering those who don't have magic. We call those non-magic people Muggles."

"Muggles?" Alex asked. Hadn't Malfoy called her that?

"Yes, they believed that Muggles, as well as any witch or wizard with Muggle relatives, were lesser than themselves. Your mother and aunt were both Muggle-born and therefore targets. These followers of Voldemort called themselves Death Eaters and made it their mission to purge the world of all non-magic beings and those with non-magic backgrounds."

"Think of the KKK in America," Uncle Monty clarified, "and the Nazis in Germany."

"When your mother was in school, the Death Eaters were gaining momentum as well as popularity. Every day, the newspaper showed more and more deaths of Muggles and Muggle-borns." Dumbledore folded his hands and placed them on the table. "Upon your mother's graduation, I was starting an organization whose goal was to fight the Death Eaters: the Order of the Phoenix. We wanted to stop this genocide of an innocent and defenseless people. I recruited your mother and her friends. If anyone is to blame for their deaths, let it be me."

Alex was quiet for a moment, letting their words sink in. Finally, she softly said, "I don't blame you, sir. You didn't kill them." She turned to her Uncle Monty and asked, "Were you recruited too?"

"Aye, I was. I worked mostly with the American government using my connections there to try and get international support." He shrugged and added, "Those bloody idiots didn't do anything."

"You know that wasn't your fault, Elian. They were dealing with the war with Vietnam's Ministry of Magic and keeping the Muggles out of the crossfire," Dumbledore said nonchalantly. Alex's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"But I learned about that in school!" she said.

"Yes, that just shows you how incompetent the American magical government really is," Uncle Monty retorted bitterly.

"Moving on, now," said Dumbledore with a warning look towards Alex's guardian. "Your mother was one of our best and because of that and her non-magical background, she became in danger. She took her family and went into hiding along with another family that was in danger: the Potters. On Halloween night, Lord Voldemort learned of where the two families were hiding. Your parents and the Potters died to keep you and Harry safe."

"Did the other boy survive? Did Harry live too?" she asked eagerly.

"He did. He is alive and bears the same mark as you as a reminder of where Voldemort's curse struck you both."

Alex frowned for a moment before realization sunk in. Pulling up the sleeve of her shirt, she revealed the lightning bolt scar on her upper right arm. She ran her fingers over the raised mark and shivered.

"Where is Harry now?" inquired Alex, looking up at the elderly man.

"He lives in a suburban town with his aunt and uncle. There, like you are here, he is safe from those who may wish to harm him."

"When Lord Vol…when You-Know-Who was destroyed," said Uncle Monty, unable to say the full name, "his followers disbanded. Many of them were captured and put into the wizard prison called Azkaban but not all of them. There are many more who are out there, waiting for the right moment to avenge their master."

"So because these people hate Muggles, you put Harry and me in Muggle towns surrounded by Muggle people," said Alex slowly, catching on to Professor Dumbledore's logic. "They wouldn't think to look for us here because they see Muggles as dirt and unworthy of their time."

"Exactly," said Dumbledore with a smile that made his blue eyes dance merrily, as though he were laughing at a private joke.

"So what happens now?" Alex asked, confusion returning to her mind. "I can't keep losing control of this…whatever it is that I have. I don't want to be on the stage and suddenly cause all the fuses to blow out."

Instead of answering, Professor Dumbledore reached into one of the deep pockets of his robes and pulled out a thick envelope. He handed it to Alex and she realized that it was made of thick, old-fashioned parchment. On the front of the envelope was her name: _Ms. Alexandria Elizabeth Ratcliff_. It was written in green ink by the hand of someone with neat handwriting. Flipping the envelope over, she saw that it was sealed with red wax. The crest was divided up into four sections. On the top left was a lion and the top right was a snake. The bottom left had a badger while the bottom right showed an eagle. In the middle was the letter "H" in fancy lettering. Underneath that was a Latin phrase that read, "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus". Alex frowned, silently promising to look that up later, and broke the seal to look inside.

_Dear Ms. Ratcliff,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year…_

"Hogwarts?" she whispered. Malfoy _had_ mentioned that name! It was the school that he couldn't wait to attend! Shaking her head, she looked up at the Headmaster. "Is this the school that my mum and aunt went to?"

He nodded and said, "Your mother and aunt came into Hogwarts not knowing anything about their magic. They grew up with Muggle parents. After seven years, they became experts in their fields. Your aunt was on her way to becoming one of England's best Healers while your mother was undergoing Auror training to be the best Dark Wizard catcher I had seen in years. Hogwarts will teach you not only how to control your gift, Alex, but how to use it with your inner talents."

"Alana and Elizabeth met their best friends at Hogwarts," said Uncle Monty with a smile. "The bonds you make there will last you a lifetime. This is why I refused to let you attend the Royal Ballet Academy, Alex. Hogwarts is where you are meant to go."

"Look, this is all wonderful and I'm really glad that I know now why all those strange things happened," said Alex, putting the letter down on the table, "but dancing is my life. I don't want to give that up."

"Why do you love to dance?" Professor Dumbledore asked, holding up a hand to stop a frustrated-looking Uncle Monty from speaking.

"It's hard to explain," said Alex slowly, looking off as she collected her thoughts. "I love the way that the music fills me up and inspires me to be graceful. I love the feeling of flying across the room. I love how it makes me feel…although, I suppose that was always the magic in me."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully before saying, "When you danced, you brought forth the magic that normally stays dormant until a witch or wizard begins learning spells. At Hogwarts, you will feel everything you felt while dancing. You will even learn to fly for real." He smiled at her before continuing, "We don't have dance instructors at Hogwarts and because we have to keep magic hidden from Muggles, you wouldn't be able to bring any of your instructors onto the grounds. However, you could train on your own time and meet with your teacher during the holidays."

Alex looked down at the letter on the table. Could she really give up her dream so that she could jump into something so new and strange? What would her parents say if they were alive?

_They'd want you to go and you know it,_ a voice in the back of her mind said.

"I could train on my own time, you said?" Alex asked warily.

"There are plenty of empty classrooms and I would personally provide you with a way for you to play the music you need," the Headmaster replied.

Nodding, Alex picked up the envelope and, reading the equipment list again, said, "So where do I find all this stuff?"

"Diagon Alley. We can go tomorrow!" exclaimed Uncle Monty, gleefully. He got up, rushed to Alex, and lifted her up in his arms. "My little girl is going off to Hogwarts! I have been waiting for this day for five long years!"

Alex laughed and gripped her guardian back as he spun her around. When she was set down properly, she looked over and saw Professor Dumbledore watching them with a smile across his wrinkled face.

"One more thing, sir," said Alex and Dumbledore nodded for her to continue. "I'd like to meet Harry."

"He will be attending Hogwarts this year as well."

"I thought so, yes. However, do you think that I'd be able to meet him before that? If he's grown up without any magical knowledge too, I think he'd like to know at least one person going into all of this madness. I know I'd like to as well."

Dumbledore nodded, stroking his long beard in thought. "If you wait to go to Diagon Alley, I can make arrangements for you to meet with Harry there."

Alex beamed and thanked the Headmaster eagerly. Professor Dumbledore merely chuckled and rose to his feet without trouble or creaking joints. Her uncle left the room only to come back with a cloak in his arms that he then handed to the Headmaster. It seemed the aged professor wore a cloak around normally.

"Well Elian and Alex, I must head off and find my good friend who is currently searching for Harry. It appears that his aunt and uncle are very unwilling to let Harry know about his past. The last time I talked with Hagrid, he tracked them to a small fishing village south of London. I know the village well and hope they are not desperate enough to hide in the shack on the island a few miles off the mainland. There is supposed to be a horrible storm hitting that area and I do not envy anyone who stays in that shack during a storm. However, I am beginning to think Harry's uncle may be that desperate."

"That sounds horrible!" said Alex with shock.

"Indeed. Never fear though, Hagrid will find the boy. He has never failed me. Thank you for the lovely dinner and your hospitality. I look forward to seeing you on September the first."

With that, the professor turned on the spot and vanished with a popping noise. Alex leapt back in alarm while her guardian shook his head.

"How the man can stand to apparate at his age and not feel nauseous, I will never understand," he muttered before saying in a clearer tone, "Let's clean up these dishes and then there are some things I want to show you."

_Author's Note: Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed learning about Alex's family. The next chapter has much more of that so for any of you who have read the prequel _Remembering the Past: A Marauder's Tale,_ you'll recognize some names and faces. You don't need to read the prequel to understand what will happen, although it will definitely help out. We also finally see Alex learning that she's magical and only a small portion of what she is really capable of. What did you guys think of this scene? Like it, dislike it? I will say that writing the bit where Alex was reluctant to go to Hogwarts was rather difficult for me since I've been waiting for my Hogwarts letter for quite some time. I'm sure it's just lost…somewhere…anyway, on to my review replies!_

xXxCorsaRoo450xXx:_ Sadly, you'll have to wait a few more chapters for the Sorting Ceremony. I do promise you that it will be an exciting time. I made a slight deviation from the original story so I hope people still like it. ;)_

CartoonGurl201m:_ Haha, I hope you enjoy Draco's reaction to learning about Alex's magic! That will come in a few more chapters so I hope it will be worth the wait! :D_

Xal:_ Thank you so much! I'm really glad that you are enjoying the story so far. :) And I'm actually really happy that you noticed what I did with Draco and the scene in the dance studio. It was actually a last-minute thing I threw in there to show how Draco has a tendency to put on this mask of arrogance as a defensive measure. His arrogance was due to him being jealous of Alex's talent and caused him to insult Alex. This action, in turn, made Alex angry enough for her magic to flare up but Draco thought it was his magic because of his jealousy. It was all a case of very confusing miscommunication._

elijahlover:_ Welcome back! I'm so happy that people who read my original posting are coming back to read the edit! Thank you for your honesty about Alex's character before. To be honest, I was not very good at accepting criticism back then and would have probably been discouraged. However, I am a much more seasoned now at taking constructive criticism so if you find at any point that Alex is reverting to her Mary Sue ways, I hope you'll let me know so I can try to fix it. And I'm glad that I'm using the "correct" form of the English language! :P_

_I would like to thank my amazing reviewers, favorite-ers, and followers for their continual support. It means so much to have such amazing fans. The next chapter delves more into the lives of Alex's parents as well as problems that arise when Alex must keep her magical life a secret. Don't forget to review! :)_


	5. Chapter 5 Remembering the Past

_Disclaimer: __I do not own _Harry Potter_ or the characters created by the extremely talented J.K. Rowling. I only own the characters and plot lines you don't recognize from the original story._

Previously in _Living for the Moment: Book 1_…

"…_Never fear though, Hagrid will find the boy. He has never failed me. Thank you for the lovely dinner and your hospitality. I look forward to seeing you on September the first."_

_With that, the professor turned on the spot and vanished with a popping noise. Alex leapt back in alarm while her guardian shook his head._

"_How the man can stand to Apparate at his age and not feel nauseous, I will never understand," he muttered before saying in a clearer tone, "Let's clean up these dishes and then there are some things I want to show you."_

Chapter 5 Remembering the Past

Once all the dishes were washed and put in their proper places, Alex followed her uncle to the attic of their home. Coughing as dust and hot air filled her lungs, she covered her mouth and nose with one hand and looked around. Boxes were stacked everywhere as well as old furniture. She thought she saw an old headboard for a bed off to one side but her uncle's voice called her away before she could investigate.

"Here Alex, help me carry these boxes down so we can look at them downstairs. It's cooler and a lot less dusty down there," he said, voice muffled as his head was down in one of the boxes.

After two trips, Alex and Uncle Monty were sitting on the floor in Alex's bedroom. She soon learned that the boxes contained memorabilia from her mum and aunt's time at Hogwarts. There were textbooks with notes in the margins in their handwriting and rolls of parchment containing essays about things Alex did not understand in the slightest. Staring at her mother's handwriting that was in some ways so similar to her own but in other ways complete different, Alex felt a pang of sadness in her chest and quickly put these items off to the side.

Her favorite part was the collection of photo albums that her aunt had made over the seven years. The pictures, instead of being stationary, actually moved. Flipping through the book, she watched her mum and aunt start out as awkward, gangly eleven-year-olds (looking so much like herself) into beautiful, poised seventeen-year-olds. There were other people in the pictures, the most frequent of which were a girl with bright, deep red hair and green eyes as well as another girl with long auburn waves. Their names, according to the back of the photos, were Lily and Alice.

"The redhead is Lily Evans, Harry's mum," explained her uncle. He pulled out another picture that showed five boys and pointed to one of the young men with broad shoulders and unruly black hair, hazel eyes hidden behind glasses. "She married this man, James Potter. According to Dumbledore, Harry looks just like his father but has his mother's green eyes."

"But who's Alice? And these other boys, who are they? I see them everywhere in this photos but there are no names," said Alex, watching the five boys laugh and shove each other in attempts to push each other out of the frame.

"Maybe this picture says," her uncle replied, pulling out one that must have been taken at the end of their seventh year. Alex leaned over her guardian's shoulder and looked down.

The picture showed five girls and five boys all together in pairs. Like all the others, it was in color but faded so that some exact colors were difficult to make out. The first pair on the left showed Lily and James, looking lovingly at each other as James would occasionally kiss the top of Lily's head. Next to them was her mother, squirming and laughing as the dark-haired boy next to her seemed to be tickling her. She would slap his chest and he would pull her in for a bear hug before the process began all over again. Alex's aunt was next to them and was rolling her eyes in a joking manner at their antics. She would turn to the light-haired boy beside her and lean her head against his chest. His scarred face would light up as he shyly put his arm around her waist. To his right stood the girl named Alice, holding hands with a tall boy with dark hair. He would twirl her around, causing Alice to shriek and him to laugh heartily. Finally, sitting in front of everyone else, was a mousy-faced boy with watery eyes. He was holding the hand of a beautiful blonde girl with pale eyes. She would look over and bump his shoulder with a sly grin and he would squeeze her hand tighter in his grip.

"All it says on the back here is "The Gang"," her uncle said, scrunching his face up in thought. "I went to their graduation and remember these faces but not their names. This guy," he pointed to the boy that was tickling her mum, "was her boyfriend. He had some weird name. It sounded like some ancient Greek mythology name. A lot of wizard families name their children after stars and galaxies. Anyway, from what I could gather, they broke up a few years after school. Then your mother met your father and that was that."

"Was this my aunt's boyfriend then?" she asked, pointing to the shy, scarred boy beside her aunt.

"Yeah, I remember that his name was Remus…something. The last name escapes me but I remember his first name because my girlfriend at the time had been learning about the story of Romulus and Remus and wouldn't shut up about it."

Alex raised an eyebrow at her guardian before slapping him lightly on the arm. "So what happened to them? Did they stay together like Lily and James?"

"The last I heard from your mum, they were still together. However, your aunt died in an accident the same night that your mother was murdered. I never learned how and I was in America at the time on business for the Order so I couldn't attend either funeral. I was supposed to come back for Lizzy's wedding the next week and had planned meetings that could not be changed. From what people told me, Remus was devastated."

"The poor man," whispered Alex, looking down at the photo. Even though he was smiling, she could tell that he had endured a lot of hardship before that moment when the flash went off.

"Alice was an old friend; I remember hearing about her in their letters often. This girl in the front must have joined the group during their last year because I don't remember hearing about another girl in the clique. There were four guys that your mum called the Marauders…"

"Here, this must be them," said Alex, pulling out a photo of James, Remus, the mousy boy, and the handsome dark-haired boy. "There are a lot of pictures of the four of them together without Alice's boyfriend."

She paused for a moment, looking at the stacks of photos and books before them. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner? Why did you wait and hide for so long, Uncle Monty?"

He turned at her serious tone and ran his dusty fingers through his greying auburn hair. "At first, I thought your grandparents had told you. You were showing so many signs of magic that I couldn't imagine how they were able to hide it from you. Then one day, I mentioned the school that your mum and aunt attended and you asked if they went to school here or in America. I asked if your grandparents ever told you and you told me they never talked about your parents." Uncle Monty looked at her and said heavily, "I didn't know where to begin or what to do so I wrote to Dumbledore. He told me to watch you carefully and if your signs of magic became more powerful, then I should say something. We were afraid that you wouldn't believe us otherwise, not after how much your grandparents refused to discuss it with you. To tell you that the grandparents you had only just lost had been lying to you for years, it would have been devastating to your young mind."

Uncle Monty stared at the photos before sighing forlornly and leaning against the wall, staring out the window. Alex looked at her guardian with concern at the look of deep sadness on his face. Normally, her adopted uncle was an upbeat man so his sorrow worried her.

"My deepest regret is being out of the country when your mum and aunt passed away," he said, pain evident in his tones. "I know that it was essential for the Order but I traveled so much that keeping in touch with their lives was difficult. I could only send and receive letters when I was in one city for an extended period of time. After their Hogwarts years, I only got news in bits and pieces. I wish I had been around for them more."

Alex slid across the floor so that she was beside her uncle and leaned her head on his shoulder, slipping an around across his waist. "You're here for me now," she said quietly, "and I think that would have meant the most to them."

Uncle Monty grunted in affirmation and gave Alex a tight squeeze before reaching for a battered copy of a book titled _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot. Opening to a random page, they saw doodles and games of tic-tac-toe along the margins.

"It would appear," he said and Alex felt his rumbling voice against her ear that rested on his chest, "that this subject was not a favorite of your mother's."

"Look at all this cool stuff, though," said Alex, eyes wide with amazement. "There were wars with goblins and giants and other creatures! How could anyone be bored hearing about that?"

"I seem to recall this class being taught by a ghost that didn't realize he was dead…" her guardian replied. "But anyway, I'm sure that you will enjoy these classes better than your regular ones. Most witches and wizards struggle learning Muggle basics but flourish under magical education. You're smart, Alex, and I know you'll make your mum and dad proud."

"And you," she added, looking up at her guardian with a smile. "I'll make you proud too, Uncle Monty."

"My dear girl, you already have," he whispered, giving her a squeeze before nudging her so he could sit up more.

Alex dragged another box closer and picked up the first book inside. It was a leather-bound book with her mother's name engraved in gold lettering on the front. She opened to the first page and saw a diary entry in her mother's handwriting. It was dated September 1, 1971.

"Uncle Monty, look!" she exclaimed happily, digging deeper and pulling out five more identical books. "My mother kept a diary of her years at Hogwarts. There's one for each year!"

"Would you look at that?" her guardian said in awe.

"Wait, there are only six diaries here," said Alex with a frown. "Aren't there seven years of Hogwarts? Where's the other one?"

Her uncle helped her dig through boxes but they couldn't find it. "Your mother might have kept it with her while she was with the Potters," he said quietly. "The house was burnt down after you and Harry were rescued. I'm sorry, Alex."

"It's okay, at least I'll be able to know everything she did at school for the first six years," said Alex, flipping through the pages. She put the book down and said, "I'll start once I'm at school though. I don't want anything in these to ruin the surprise of whatever awaits me."

"You should read each book as you go through your Hogwarts years," suggested Uncle Monty. Alex nodded her head in agreement, excited to begin her own adventure.

…

The next day, Alex went to the dance studio and told Ms. Jenny how she would not be around during the school year for lessons. She explained that her uncle was sending her to a boarding school up north for her to continue her academic education.

"They don't have dance but I'll be able to train on my own," promised Alex. "I'll be back in the summer too."

"You'll have to be diligent with your exercises," Ms. Jenny said, clearly not happy with this situation but not in a position to argue. "You'll have to learn how to choreograph your own routines and at the start of the summer, I want you to perform them for me. We'll see how this arrangement works."

Alex nodded obediently and spent the next few hours undergoing rigorous training with Ms. Jenny. Her instructor figured that if her pupil was going to be away for so long, she needed to learn as much as possible before leaving. Alex left the studio with sore and shaky muscles but feeling content with her decision. If all went according to her plan, she would have her own space to practice and choreograph the routines Ms. Jenny wanted.

As she walked, Alex caught sight of the dilapidated mansion and frowned. She had spent her last waking hours before sleep overcame her thinking about everything she had learned and how Draco fit in to it all. He had called her a Muggle and talked about Hogwarts; he had magic too. She wished that she could talk with Draco and tell him that she knew he hadn't been lying, that she knew who he was. Sighing, she decided that she would find him once at Hogwarts and talk with him. Surely she could explain her situation and he'd understand.

The walk up the hill to her house was rough on her already exhausted leg muscles. When she entered the house, Alex collapsed onto the couch and laid there for a moment to let her muscles have a break. She heard Uncle Monty walking around upstairs and looked at the watch around her wrist. Shocked, she saw that it was after five. Erin had invited her to dinner at her house and they ate at six. Groaning, Alex rose to her feet and made her way up the stairs to shower and get ready.

"I was afraid Ms. Jenny kidnapped you," joked Uncle Monty from the top of the stairs. Seeing his adopted niece's obvious discomfort, he raised and eyebrow and continued, "I take it she wasn't too happy with the arrangement?"

"No, but she knows better than to try again to make you change your mind," replied Alex, slowly taking the steps one at a time. "I'm going over to Erin's for dinner tonight, is that okay? There's leftover chicken piccata in the refrigerator for you."

"I think I can work the microwave without burning this place down," replied Uncle Monty cheekily. As Alex chuckled and made to pass her guardian, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Alex, you know that you can't tell Erin the truth, right?"

Alex froze. Of course, she gathered from what Professor Dumbledore and her uncle mentioned that any non-magical people couldn't know about magic. It seemed that it was against the law. But Erin was her best friend, how could she not tell? She had never kept a secret from Erin before and this secret was the biggest one she had!

"Alex, not only is Erin a Muggle but no one must know that You-Know-Who wanted you dead as well," Uncle Monty said, turning Alex so that she was facing his solemn face. "Professor Dumbledore made sure no one knew that your parents were with the Potters that night. In fact, he wanted no one to know that anyone was in that house but word got around that James and Lily were there with their son."

"Why can't people know? I guess I can understand Erin because she wouldn't understand the whole magic thing, but people at Hogwarts? What am I supposed to tell them when they ask about myself? Will I have to hide it from Harry as well?"

"I know this is hard," Uncle Monty sighed, "but Dumbledore worked hard to keep your parents and you out of the press. There may come a time when you will have to reveal everything but don't try to push yourself into the spotlight. It's a bright light and not everything it's made out to be. As for Harry, Dumbledore said that you should explain it all to him, but only him. You two will need each other and should have no secrets between you two."

"But shouldn't I come out so I can stand by Harry?"

"You can still be there for Harry without having your name smattered all over the papers," he explained. "In fact, you'll be more use to Harry by staying hidden and not having people watch your every move."

"I don't like this," Alex said grudgingly. "I feel like I'm a coward hiding in the shadows. I feel like Mum and Dad died for nothing."

"One day, everyone will know what your parents did," soothed Uncle Monty. "Right now, though, it's important that you remain hidden. If any of You-Know-Who's old supporters knew that you were part of their master's demise, they'd be planning your death too. You can help Harry by knowing people will want to finish their master's work and stay vigilant."

Alex nodded, drawing herself up to her full height. "I won't let him down," she vowed and paused before adding slowly, "but I should probably meet the boy before I pledge myself to be his protector. It may turn out that he's a right git and I should let these Death Eaters finish him off."

She grinned slyly as Uncle Monty shook his head at her antics and lightly pushed her towards the shower. Once she was clean and dressed in jean shorts and a T-shirt, Alex made her way carefully down the stairs. At the bottom, she saw her uncle running his fingers along a piece of polished wood. Upon seeing her, he winked and held the stick out for Alex to see.

"I don't want you to be in pain while you're supposed to be having fun with Erin," he explained. "If you'll allow me, I'd like to heal those sore muscles with magic."

"Really?" cried Alex excitedly. "Yes, yes please! I want to see you do magic!"

Taking the wand in his right hand, Uncle Monty closed his eyes for a moment to gather his thoughts before pointing the want at Alex and saying, "_Musculus nodolus_!" Immediately, her entire body felt light as a feather and the pain vanished. She looked at her guardian with wide eyes.

"That was bloody wicked!" she said. "I feel completely normal! How could you live without magic for so long?"

"I don't like to use magic that often. I prefer the Muggle way of doing things," explained Uncle Monty, stowing his wand back in the inside pocket of his jacket. "During the War, I used magic so often to defend myself and using it for mundane tasks seemed a waste in comparison. I'll occasionally use a few household spells to keep the house from getting to dirty but other than that, I like doing things the good old-fashioned way. Now," he said, opening the door, "go on and see your friend. Give her my best and remember what I told you."

"Yes, Uncle Monty," she nodded before giving him a kiss on the check and dashing off down the drive.

…

"I can't believe you're leaving me to go to some fancy boarding school in the mountains," said Erin as the two girls sat on the swing set outside the Malloy home. Alex's friend kicked a stray stone with her foot forlornly.

"I know, I was as shocked about the information as you were," said Alex, feeling a heaviness in her chest. She wanted to tell Erin everything so badly but remembered her uncle's words and kept silent.

"So what's this fancy school called anyway?"

"Hogwarts," said Alex, unable to come up with a fake name off the top of her head.

Erin turned to face Alex, an eyebrow raised. "Seriously?" Alex nodded and Erin shook her head in disbelief, "What a strange name. And you said that both your mum and aunt went there?"

"Yeah, that's why my uncle wouldn't let me go to the Royal Ballet Academy. He knew that I would most likely be accepted there because of legacy." Alex left it unsaid that her grades would not have gotten her into this school she had fabricated.

Erin managed a small smile and put a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Hey, you'll do great at this Hogwash or whatever it's called. The teachers will bloody well be better than anything you'd find around here. They'll turn you into a proper genius." Alex chuckled and Erin continued in a more serious tone, "You're going to great things, Alex. I've known you since you first came to this town and I've always known that you're special. You're meant for more than this place. I thought dancing would get you out of here but now I see it's this boarding school your mum went too."

"I'm just scared," said Alex softly. "What if I'm making a huge mistake? What if dance is my way out and I'm throwing it all away for this opportunity? Ms. Jenny thinks I am; I could tell the minute I told her and sounded happy with the decision."

"Bullocks!" said Erin angrily. "Ms. Jenny just wants to say that she got one of her pupils into the Royal Ballet. She cares about you but only for your dancing skill. Your uncle loves you and has been looking out for all of you."

"I just hope that I can live up to everyone's expectations of me," she said with a sigh.

"You will," said Erin simply. Alex nodded and managed a smile.

"So apparently telephone reception is horrible at this school," she said, changing the subject. "The only way to communicate with people is by letter-writing. You think you can work on that penmanship of yours for me?"

"So long as you give me detailed updates on your life," replied Erin with a grin before leaning back in the swing until her arms were stretched out completely. "I can't believe you're leaving me alone with Eric though! God, he's so annoying!"

"Honestly Erin, he totally likes you. That's why he acts like that around you," Alex laughed. "You can't deny that he's an attractive guy and he's definitely the nicest guy in town."

"Ew Alex, how gross would it be if I dated him? He's my friend!"

Alex shook her head and smiled knowingly. She personally believed that within the next ten years, Eric and Erin would be dating. She listened to Erin rant on and on about how frustrating Eric was and allowed herself to feel content with her decision. She was going to the school her mum went to and she would soon be meeting the boy who had survived Voldemort. Her adventure was already beginning before she even set foot at Hogwarts.

_Author's Note: Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay in this update. I was on vacation and couldn't get to a computer until now. I'm really curious as to what everyone thought of this chapter. My Marauder fic is one of my babies (although it should probably be revamped as well…) and I love writing about them in this fic._

_The next chapter is a biggie: Alex and Harry meet! Get excited, guys! __ You'll also see Alex's first trip into the world of magic. I think you all will enjoy it! :D_

_Now, onto my review replies!_

xXxCorsaRoox450Xx:_ Haha, no worries! And yes, Harry will be a key player in this story. While Alex is the main POV, we'll get to see how her presence changes all the major characters in the series. I'm trying to keep it as realistic and as in canon as possible in order to do justice to the lovely Ms. Rowling's works. :)_

_CartoonGurl201m_:_ I was so upset when I turned eleven and never got my Hogwarts letter. Last year, my sister actually made me a Hogwarts letter with a long explanation of why it came ten years late. It was definitely my favorite gift that year! :) Thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't worry, Harry and Alex will meet in the next update (which will be sooner than this past one)!_

_I was so happy to see many people favorite and follow not only this story but my other _Living for the Moment_ fics. Thank you for all the love and support; it means so much to me! Please don't forget to review, favorite, or follow! :D_


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